The Duke's Temptation by Addie Jo Ryleigh Read Free Book Online

insecurity fought with her determination.
    “If you have any doubts, say the word,” he added. “We will find a different solution.”
    It would be so easy to cave and let Marcus take control. To back out before it all became too much. Instead she filled her lungs with a deep breath and summoned the strength to take control and thus prove herself capable. “I’ll be fine.” She smiled. “If I run into troubles, Aunt Millie will come to my aid. We both know beneath her ladylike exterior she is a force to be reckoned with.”
    Marcus’s smile eased his severe appearance. “I can recall quite easily what a force she can be. Growing up, she never failed to take it upon herself to impose some well-needed discipline on me.”
    Laughter joined her words. “And, as I recall, you earned every lesson you received.”
    “And you are still the same scamp that managed to avoid punishment.” Brotherly affection reflected from green eyes that matched her own. “I came to inform you Aunt Millie sent a message that she will escort you to Gabe’s with her carriage.” Seriousness washed away his joy. “Lizzy, I know things weren’t easy for you after Mother and Father died and I know I was a poor substitute.”
    Elizabeth opened her mouth to deny Marcus’s claim but he cut her off with a wave of his hand. “I love you and I only want what is best for you. That being said, if this is what you desire, I will support you, even if I don’t feel it is entirely appropriate.”
    Tears filled her eyes and thickened her words. “I love you, too. Thank you, not merely for this but for everything. You might not have been Mother and Father but you were the next best thing and more than I could have ever asked for.”
    Anxious to ensure Marcus knew how indebted she was for all he had done, she reached for him and hugged him. Only a second passed before his arms came around her and offered a tight squeeze. After he released her, she stepped back and found his eyes shining with tears of their own.
    Marcus cleared his throat and gave a short gesture to her luggage. “Are you done here?”
    She nodded.
    “Then, let us retire to the drawing room and await Aunt Millie.”

Chapter 5
    It had taken deep contemplation, but in the end, Gabe chose to be in attendance when Elizabeth arrived with her aunt. It was either that or run around London scrutinizing everyone as a possible blackmailer. Besides, avoiding her would be pointless with her living under his roof. It would appear suspicious if he suddenly took up residence at one of his clubs.
    More to the point, he was a grown man. A man fully capable of controlling his wayward desire for a young chit. Anyway, she was an innocent. His preferences resided with a woman who knew how to offer a man complete pleasure. Which reminded him, it was beyond time to find a replacement for his former mistress.
    Since parting company with his last paramour, not by her choice, he had been reviewing the latest widows and unhappily married ladies of the ton for possible candidates. Even with such prime options, there were none who stirred his passions like one pesky, innocent minx. The very minx who would be sleeping in a bed, in his home, just down the hall from him.
    Even locked away in the recesses of his study, he could easily summon visions of her reclined within the softness of an overstuffed counterpane, a delicate silk nightgown draped over her virginal but womanly body, accentuating all her curves, her honey hair wildly strewn across the pillows. Emerald eyes, burning with the heat of her desire, beckoning him to her side.
    A sharp knock on the study door ripped him from his erotic thoughts. “What is it?” Unfulfilled desire lowered his voice to a rough growl.
    The solid door slightly muffled Wilkes’s voice. “Lady Millicent and Lady Elizabeth have arrived, Your Grace.”
    The bulge in his breeches prevented him from rising to greet them properly. “Please escort the ladies to the drawing room and